A floating city burned beneath the skies...
Not with fire, but with light and energy.
Platforms of silver and obsidian drifted endlessly, stitched together by glowing runes and suspended bridges. Towers pierced the clouds like divine spears, and at the city's heart stood a single figure.
A majestic man gleaming with an undescribable aura of strength.
He stood on a fractured marble, a massive crimson sword planted beside him, its blade alive, pulsing, and screaming power into the air. Every breath it released distorted space, as if reality itself refused to touch it.
In front of him lay the fading remains of a fallen figure, dead.
A robotic voice rang out the next moment, cold and absolute.
[Prime 760 Player 'Soft Stranger' has been eliminated!]
Light exploded from the corpse, as coins and loot scattering before dissolving into his inventory.
[Rewards Acquired!]
[+250,000,000 Coins.]
[+29,600 EXP.]
[All Dropped Loot Successfully Collected!]
Then another cascade followed, this one louder and heavier.
[Throwback Honors for Soft Stranger.]
[• 2× MVP of the Round — Winner.]
[• 4× MVP of the Round — Runner-Up.]
[• Hundreds of Millions of Fans — Record Holder.]
[• Hundreds of Sponsors — Record Badge Holder.]
The man exhaled slowly, giving a soft nod.
Soft Stranger...
A monster in his own right. A legend worshipped by fans across countless Grounds. He had watched his battles a few times and had admired them, even.
Now he was gone, killed by him.
He glanced at his blade, crimson light reflecting in his eyes.
'So this is the peak you reached…' He said to his sword, Devourer, his eyes gleaming in amazement and delight.
And then after observing the sword, he lifted his hand and summoned his status interface.
---
[Name: SlayerHead]
[Player ID: 242555179ELC]
[Profession: Lone Ranger]
[Rank: Prime 764 — Level 11]
[EXP: 33,400 / 75,000]
[Kills: 455,671]
[Skills:
— Timer (MAX)
— Burst of Dread (MAX)
...
---
He stared at the numbers in intense tension. Every digit represented blood. Every stat signified a great cause for survival.
He had walked this path alone.
No alliances. No teams. No mercy.
Only one rule had mattered.
Live. Kill... Advance.
This was the final stage of the Prime Grounds.
The end...
After an almost eternal period of legendary clashes and battles.
The sky rippled at once, and staring at it, he already understood what that meant.
The Fan Hub Interface erupted into view, and comments began flooding in so fast that the screen almost trembled.
>"HE DID IT AGAIN!!!"<
>"SlayerHead is untouchable!"<
>"This is why he's the GOAT!"<
>"ASCEND ALREADY!!!"<
>"I was here since Prime 200. THIS IS HISTORY!"<
>"Authority, OPEN THE GATES!"<
>"LET HIM TRANSCEND!!!"<
SlayerHead turned away without even leaving a single bit of reaction.
Praise had never moved him, at least not at a time like this.
He lifted his gaze instead, to another interface hovering quietly at the edge of his vision.
[Players Remaining: 2.]
His grip tightened around the sword, understanding the heat.
Only one left... Just one more Player to eliminate.
He hadn't seen him yet, but SlayerHead didn't need to.
He's definitely here, since the floating city was the final zone.
A soft chime echoed soon enough, and SlayerHead heaved a long sigh as his eyes landing on the interface.
---
>[Do you wish to invite Player: "Son of God" [YES] [NO]?]<
---
SlayerHead immediately tried to reach out...
Before another alert interrupted the notification at once...
---
>[Invitation Received from Player: "Son of God" [Accept] [Reject]?]<
---
A faint smile crossed his face, as he nodded faintly.
"So you're ready too," he muttered.
He quickly smashed the "accept" icon and then watched as the Authority decides the scene of the final battle randomly.
And moments later, the battlefield was decided.
---
[LOCATION CONFIRMED!]
— Forgotten Temple of the Floating City. Rooftop, Highest Structure.
---
SlayerHead didn't want to waste time time at all, as he arrived first.
He wanted to get the whole thing over with right on time and get the rewards he had been dying for.
The rooftop was vast, ancient stone etched with divine symbols, broken pillars circling the platform like silent witnesses. And below them, the city floated endlessly, clouds rolling beneath their feet as the wind howled like crazy.
Then... Footsteps were heard from behind.
SlayerHead turned casually to see a figure emerged from green light.
Son of God.
A towering presence clad in radiant armor, wielding a jade-green greatsword that hummed with sacred energy.
His eyes were calm and focused.
No ambush.
No tricks.
They were beyond such things now.
Their perceptions had reached a heavenly threshold which means any cheap move would be see and would be definitely punished... If the punisher really have got balls.
They raised their swords with no words o words spoken... It had gotten this far that they don't care about what they wanted to say.
All they wanted was for this to end, but really, no one wanted to fail at this point.
All hundreds of thousands of kills just to die in the very end? No way.
But they still knew the bitter truth.
One person has to die today, and certainly, only the better Player shall triumph.
Then...
The battle began.
The rooftop shattered as crimson and emerald light collided.
Steel screamed, and the air cracked.
Blades clashed again and again, each strike capable of leveling cities, each movement precise beyond mortal comprehension. Skills detonated, timers reset, dread flooded the space.
Viewers went silent.
Fans held their breath.
Two legends.
One throne.
This was the moment the multiverse had been waiting for, and now it was happening right before their eyes.
And finally, after an eternity of a legendary battle, one figure took the spotlight...
At the final exchange, SlayerHead stepped forward, his blade cutting through green light like judgment itself.
The jade sword shattered and the body fell, slain.
SlayerHead stood over him, breathing hard yet with a vibrant smile of victory pasted on his face.
"Son of God… See you in heaven. Maybe."
[Prime 764, Level 13 Player 'Son of God' has been eliminated!]
[Throwback Honors for Son Of God.]
[• 2× Player of the Ground — Winner.]
[• 6× MVP of the Round — Winner.]
[• 2× MVP of the Round — Runner-Up.]
[• Hundreds of Millions of Fans — Record Holder.]
[• Thousands of Sponsors — Record Badge Holder.]
[• Voted 1 Million Super Stones per Round (1st) — Record Badge Holder.]
[• Voted 5 Million Super Stones per Round (1st) — Record Badge Holder.]
[• Voted 10 Million Super Stones per Round (2nd) — Record Badge Holder.]
[• Most Supported Player — Record Holder.]
Son of God's achievements were nothing below legendary, and even by SlayerHead viewing every one of them, he couldn't help the sympathetic emotions.
All those history erased... He had just slain a legend.
But then, he straightened.
This was it.
The end of everything... The final obstacle that he had to pass, and finally he has.
The interface flickered and then he waited for the victory announcement.
For Ascendancy.
For godhood.
What had been his goal all these while... All through the years of killings and survival.
It was finally time, and SlayerHead would just wait patiently.
However, after quite a while of waiting for the deed to be done...
The sky went black, and shockingly, the city vanished.
The interfaces dissolved.
Lights? Gone.
Sounds? Gone.
SlayerHead soon realise he was standing alone in nothingness.
He didn't panic too much, as he guessed this might just be the way his rewards would be presented. After all, the game had always presented crazy dramas.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes, and he was still waiting.
Confusion began to flood in, as it soon felt odd.
'This isn't right…'
He had to believe that this doesn't seem right anymore.
He should have ascended already. He should have gained the power of the Elites already!
He was already flooding his mind with complaints when the familiar voice returned.
This time it was cold, and the notification it brought was even colder, and... Shocking.
[Prime 764 Player 'SlayerHead' has been eliminated!]
SlayerHead's eyes widened at once.
At that very point, his world shattered.
"What…?"
"No... NO!!"
"I WON!! I'm the last man standing!! I killed Son of God!!"
Though it never look like he was dead, but he couldn't explain why he felt like he was.
And the make it even worse, there was no response from the ever-present informant of the game.
The next moment, darkness collapsed inward, crushing and dragging him...
Throwing him into a deep, endless cage where no light existed.
No interface.
No sword.
No escape.
And as the void swallowed him whole, SlayerHead whispered the final words of his legend.
"Is this… Betrayal?"